| | | |  | | By Adam Wren | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine Happy Saturday from, as Hillary Clinton once called it, “basketball-crazed Indianoplace.” It’s the third day of March Madness. See you here next week, when we host the Midwest regional of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. Who will be left standing? Drop me a line: awren@politico.com.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Members of the Republican-controlled Congress have filed a rush of bills seeking to honor President Donald Trump while he is still in office — a multifront effort that has no precedent in congressional history and underscores the lengths that some House Republicans are willing to go to both curry favor with the president and to demonstrate their support, POLITICO’s Ben Jacobs and Gregory Svirnovskiy write this morning. A look at the bills: In total, there are five such bills introduced in the House over the past two months, which would: put Trump’s face on the $100 bill, create a new $250 bill with Trump’s face adorning it, make Trump’s birthday (June 14) a federal holiday, rename Dulles Airport in Trump’s honor and carve Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore. While the Republicans crafting these bills say they are well-earned recognition, some scholars of American history view them through a darker lens: “This is exactly what the American Revolution was fought to prevent,” said Princeton’s Sean Wilentz. JUST IN: “Kitty Dukakis, tireless advocate who shared her struggles with the public, dies at 88,” by the Boston Globe’s Joseph P. Kahn: “As the state’s first lady, [Dukakis] championed a wide range of causes, including aid to the homeless and advocating on behalf of political refugees. It was as a private citizen, though, that Mrs. Dukakis made her most indelible mark, writing and speaking candidly — often painfully so — about her struggles with alcoholism and depression, the treatment options she’d sought, and the relapses she had suffered.”
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Joe Biden and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) speak during a presidential debate break in Miami, Florida, on June 27, 2019. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | LESS THAN TOTAL RECALL: The Democratic Party’s slow-motion reckoning with former President Joe Biden’s decline and fateful decision to run for reelection is still driving conversations about its own future — and past. At least one congressman had concerns about Biden’s cognitive capabilities as far back as 2023, according to a forthcoming book. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California — who ran against Biden for president and appeared together with him in a June 2019 debate — “became concerned about Biden’s mental acuity” in 2023 at the annual White House picnic for members of Congress, according to a copy of “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House” ($32), by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, obtained by Playbook and due out April 1. “When they came face-to-face, Biden did not immediately recognize his onetime rival for the party's nomination,” write Allen and Parnes in the first behind-the-scenes story of all three 2024 presidential campaigns: Trump’s, Biden’s and Kamala Harris’. “Swalwell had to cue Biden with personal details to remind him.” Asked about the reported interaction, a spokesperson for Biden declined to comment to POLITICO. A spokesperson for Swalwell did not deny the anecdote took place but said he didn’t attend a White House picnic in June 2023. (The authors set the picnic in June; it was actually in July. Allen told POLITICO that the “story is true, our sourcing is impeccable and it’s regrettable that we misidentified the month in which Swalwell went to the White House.” It’s worth noting Swalwell did attend the event, according to a White House pool report.) Swalwell defended Biden’s age and ability to run for reelection months later. “I’ll take the individual who’s 81 over the guy who has 91 felony counts,” Swalwell said in an MSNBC interview last February, not long after Ezra Klein argued that Democrats should find someone else to lead the party due, in part, to Biden’s age. Later, in March, Swalwell again defended Biden’s cognition. “You said to President Biden, ‘You appear to have a photographic understanding and recall of the House,’” Swalwell said to special counsel Robert Hur at a March meeting with the House Judiciary Committee. “Did you say that to President Biden?” Biden’s refusal to pass the torch until more than a year later still looms over the party. And Democrats are still facing questions about who knew what — and when — about Biden’s faculties. It’s not difficult to see more of these anecdotes surfacing in the coming weeks and months. What’s harder is seeing how the party regains voters’ trust. THE CLEARANCE SECTION: Trump escalated his feuds with some of his perceived rivals yesterday, revoking the security clearances of a handful of top Democrats and political foes. “I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” Trump wrote in a presidential memo late last night. Making a list: He went on to name 15 opponents and Biden-era officials, including Clinton, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), New York AG Letitia James, and former president Biden’s entire family. It is unclear what formal security clearance was possessed by some of the figures named in the memo. More from POLITICO’s Seb Starcevic DEVELOPING IN THE MIDDLE EAST: “Israel fires on Lebanon in response to rockets fired at Israeli targets,” by AP’s Bassem Mroue and Wafaa Shurafa: “Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire since the ceasefire. Earlier, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, for the second time since December, sparking concern about whether the fragile ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would hold.”
| | | | A message from Comcast: Comcast invests billions each year in maintaining and expanding our network capabilities to deliver a superior experience each and every day for millions of people. We've invested $80B in our network and infrastructure in the last 10 years. Connecting people now and into the future. Learn more. | | | | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. THE ART OF THE DEAL: Brad Karp, the head honcho at top law firm Paul Weiss, went to the White House for a direct meeting with Trump and his advisers in an effort to take the heat off the firm, which had come under fire from the president. In the end, Karp struck a shocking deal that is reverberating through the industry. “The capitulation by one of the top U.S. firms — and a high-profile Trump adversary during his first term — reflects deep worries across the business world that being threatened by the president could lead to financial ruin,” WSJ’s Erin Mulvaney, Josh Dawsey and C. Ryan Barber report. The knock-on effect: The deal also has some worried that the White House will “feel emboldened to press ahead with additional sanctions against others who represented Trump’s opponents or otherwise tangled with the administration. A number of firm leaders also expressed dismay that Paul Weiss had set a new price for peace.” To wit: A White House official told the NYT that “despite the deal reached with Paul Weiss, Mr. Trump would continue to target law firms with executive orders, including some the president could sign as early as next week.” 2. NOT YOUR LAP DOGE: Elon Musk’s threat to root out and punish anyone in the government who is leaking to media is being met with more or less of a general shrug, POLITICO’s Sophia Cai, Danny Nguyen, Daniel Payne, Amy Mackinnon and Eli Stokols report. “Musk’s post is not having the chilling effect on leakers he’d intended, according to conversations with more than half a dozen government employees who had previously spoken to POLITICO. If anything, it might be the other way around,” they write. Leakers are already taking precautions for fear of retaliation, with many believing that disclosing the chaos caused by DOGE outweighs the risks that come with leaking. 3. MUSK READ: Musk’s political machine — America PAC — is going local. “Republican candidates across the country are wooing the group for support for the 2026 midterm elections and other political efforts,” WSJ’s Katherine Long, Josh Dawsey and Dana Mattioli report. “In Georgia, gubernatorial candidates have asked the group to play a role in that race, according to people familiar with the outreach. In other 2026 battleground states, including Arizona, Senate candidates have also reached out to the group.” The first test for Musk’s might comes in Wisconsin, where a state Supreme Court race has already drawn big spending from the billionaire’s group. 4. THE MAGA REVOLUTION: As has become the norm for the first weeks of the Trump administration, there is no shortage of updates as Trump and Musk continue slashing through the bureaucracy to remake the federal government to fit their preferences. The SEC is set to see hundreds of employees leave through buyout and retirement offers, POLITICO’s Declan Harty reports. The admin is considering killing some outside expert panels that advise the CDC on key health threats like HIV and avian flu, per POLITICO’s Sophie Gardner. The onslaught continues: Leaders at NASA are “weighing closing its headquarters and scattering responsibilities among the states, a move that has the potential to dilute its coordination and influence in Washington,” POLITICO’s Sam Skove reports. DHS is “making cuts to three key offices that oversee civil rights protections across its broad mission, suggesting that they were impeding immigration enforcement efforts,” AP’s Rebecca Santana writes. And the VA’s mental health system is getting hit hard, threatening to “degrade services for veterans of wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan,” the NYT reports.
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Connecting Americans – now and into the future. Learn more. | | | | 5. IMMIGRATION FILES: As Trump aims to follow through on his pledge to carry out historic mass deportations across the country, “thousands of federal law enforcement officials from multiple agencies are being enlisted to take on new work as immigration enforcers, pulling crime-fighting resources away on other areas -- from drug trafficking and terrorism to sexual abuse and fraud,” Reuters’ Brad Heath, Joshua Schneyer, Marisa Taylor, Sarah Lynch and Mike Spector report. More moves: DHS said yesterday that it plans to “revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month,” AP’s Gisela Salomon reports. 6. DANCE OF THE SUPERPOWERS: “China Explores Limiting Its Own Exports to Mollify Trump,” by WSJ’s Lingling Wei: “Like Japan decades ago, China is considering trying to blunt greater U.S. tariffs and other trade barriers by offering to curb the quantity of certain goods exported to the U.S., according to advisers to the Chinese government. Tokyo’s adoption of so-called voluntary export restraints, or VERs, to limit its auto shipments to the U.S. in the 1980s helped prevent Washington from imposing higher import duties. A similar move from Beijing, especially in sectors of key concern to Washington, like electric vehicles and batteries, would mitigate criticism from the U.S. and others over China’s ‘economic imbalances.’” Related read: “How Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts Leave a Vacuum That China Can Fill,” by NYT’s David Sanger
| | | | Cut through policy complexity and turn intelligence into action with POLITICO’s Policy Intelligence Assistant—a new suite of tools designed to save you time and demonstrate your impact more easily than ever—available only to Pro subscribers. Save hours, uncover critical insights instantly, and stay ahead of the next big shift. Power your strategy today—learn more. | | | | | 7. SMALL MERCIES: The Trump administration this week brought two Palestinian children suffering from cancer to the U.S. to receive treatment, continuing an effort that was launched by the Biden administration in a rare carryover from the previous White House, NBC’s Julie Cerullo, Abigail Williams and Andrea Mitchell report. “They are among 240 Palestinian children with cancer who have been evacuated from Gaza since the war began so they can get chemotherapy, blood transfusions and other treatments impossible to obtain in the war zone.” There are at least six more children with cancer in need of treatment who are still in Gaza. 8. BIG ON CAMPUS: “Columbia agrees to Trump demands in effort to get back federal funding,” by POLITICO’s Madina Touré: “The university, which was accused by the Trump administration of not doing enough to address antisemitism during protests against the Israel-Hamas war, has agreed to ban face masks during protests on campus. It also said it would place its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Departments and the Center for Palestine Studies under the authority of a new senior vice provost, according to a document the university said it shared with the federal Education Department, the Department of Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration.” 9. INK SPILL: “How an Autopen Conspiracy Theory About Biden Went Viral,” by NYT’s Ken Bensinger and Steven Lee Myers: “In the first two months of this year, the term was mentioned a total of 49 times on television, radio and podcasts in the United States, according to data from the media tracker Critical Mention. It was uttered 6,188 times on March 17 alone. Right-wing talk radio, podcasts and cable news shows have now devoted hundreds of segments to the arcana of wet signatures and autopen technology.”
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Learn more about how Comcast is investing in essential infrastructure powering our lives. | | | | CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
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| GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “Vivian Jenna Wilson on Being Elon Musk’s Estranged Daughter, Protecting Trans Youth and Taking on the Right Online,” by Teen Vogue’s Ella Yurman: “In Teen Vogue’s special issue cover story, the estranged 20-year-old daughter of Elon Musk talks about the ‘cartoonishly evil’ Trump administration and being a young trans woman today.” — “The Old Idea That Could Give New Life to Progressive Politics,” by NYT Magazine’s Parul Sehgal: “During the first Trump era, the resistance engaged in soaring rhetoric about unity — then fell apart. Will this time be different?” — “The Battle for the Bros,” by The New Yorker’s Andrew Marantz: “Young men have gone MAGA. Can the left win them back?” — “Why Aren’t Women Allowed to Play Baseball?” by The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany: “Women have always loved America’s pastime. It has never loved them back.” — “The New Deep State,” by The Dispatch’s Michael Warren: “Donald Trump’s most lasting legacy may be the foreign policy apparatus forming in the shadows.” — “Why Airline Pilots Feel Pushed to Hide Their Mental Illness,” by Helen Ouyang for NYT Magazine: “Is the F.A.A. really ensuring safety by disqualifying pilots who receive a diagnosis or treatment?” — “The Meager Agenda of Abundance Liberals,” by Washington Monthly’s Paul Glastris and Nate Weisberg: “What the Democratic Party’s most buzzed-about policy movement gets right — and wrong.” — “Meet the Czech Millennial Who’s Building a Utopia in the California Hayfields,” by Will McCarthy for POLITICO Magazine: “Armed with tech billions, Jan Sramek has dreams of creating a new, affordable, walkable city. If, that is, California lets him.” — “Exploring the American frontier,” by WaPo’s Matt McClain and Susan Levine: “Washington Post photographer Matt McClain traversed this evolving frontier to look for some of the most pronounced signs of change. Guided by population, employment and other data, his search ultimately landed him in five communities from Montana to New Mexico.” — “The Conservative Women’s Magazine With Big Ambitions, and Sex Tips for Wives,” by NYT’s Katie J.M. Baker: “The Evie reader can work. She can be a mom. It’s her choice. It’s just not feminism.”
| | | | California's tech industry is shaping national politics like never before. We’re launching California Decoded to unpack how the state is defining tech policy and politics within its borders and beyond. Sign up now to get it free for a limited time. | | | | | | | TALK OF THE TOWN | | IN MEMORIAM — “Jerry V. Wilson, transformative Washington police chief, dies at 96,” by WaPo’s Peter Hermann: “Jerry V. Wilson, who spent a quarter-century on the Metropolitan Police Department, the final five years as chief, a post from which he modernized and expanded the force, put women on patrol for the first time, hired more African Americans and eased racial tensions in the aftermath of the 1968 riots, died March 11 at an assisted-living center in Gainesville, Virginia. … Mr. Wilson was a central player in a tumultuous and transformative period in the District’s history that encompassed the civil rights movement, anti-Vietnam War protests and the run-up to home rule.” WEDDING — Timothy Buell, The Dabney's Chef de Cuisine, and Amanda Russo, director of comms at the Crypto Council for Innovation, got married on March 1 at the View at Bluemont. The two met in San Francisco over pork belly donuts six years ago and have been eating together ever since. Pic … Another pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) … Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) (7-0) … Wolf Blitzer … MSNBC’s Ali Vitali … Judge Neomi Rao … Alan Williams … Rebecca Miller Spicer of Airlines for America … Lyzz Schwegler … Kathryn Jean Lopez … POLITICO’s Josh Siegel, Emma Dumain, Alex Wang and Scott Streater … Ann Oliveira … Connor Rose of Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson’s (R-Pa.) office … Dan Backer … Precision’s Matt Williams … Sarah Mars Bowie … former Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) … former Rep. Thomas Andrews (D-Maine) … Jeff Cohen … Time’s Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna … Victoria Blair … Sarah Feldman … AARP’s Myrna Blyth … Patrick Manion … Public Agenda’s Andrew Seligsohn … Jeffrey Vinik THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): CNN “State of the Union”: Education Secretary Linda McMahon … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). Panel: Chris Sununu, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Shermichael Singleton and Xochitl Hinojosa. NBC “Meet the Press”: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer … Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah). Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Adrienne Elrod, Stephen Hayes and Hallie Jackson. ABC “This Week”: Tom Homan … Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) … Chris Christie. Panel: Donna Brazile, Rachael Bade, Sarah Isgur and Asma Khalid. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Steve Witkoff … Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Panel: Michael Allen, Francesca Chambers, Penny Nance and Juan Williams. Legal panel: Ilya Shapiro and Tom Dupree. Sunday special: Clint Romesha. CBS “Face the Nation”: National security adviser Mike Waltz … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) … Scott Gottlieb. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman … Robert George. Panel: George Will, Tamara Keith, Tara Palmeri and Jessica Taylor. Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: AG Pam Bondi … Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Panel: Gregg Jarrett and Peter Schweizer … Steve Hilton. MSNBC “Inside with Jen Psaki”: Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) … Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) ... Annie Karni … Luke Broadwater. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misstated which night Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) held a town hall for constituents. It was Wednesday.
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